Rajasthani dhokla

This was a discovery for me when I was going through recipes for makkai ka atta aka Cornmeal flour. This lockdown has made me explore with all ingredients kept at home which can be used in easiest healthiest forms.

This is one such recipe. Simple, full of energy, proteins.

Served with green chutney and garlic chutney it is eaten as a snack in Rajasthan, India. It is also eaten with dals in place of roti as its so filling.

Let’s have a look at the recipe.

Ingredients

Cornmeal – 2 cup (250 grams)
Fenugreek leaves -1 cp(I have tried adding spinach leaves in place of Fenugreek too, tastes equally good)
Peas – 1/2 cup

Green Coriander – 1/2 cup

Curd – 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Carom seeds – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala – 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Ginger chilli paste -1 tsp each

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method

1. Take a bowl and mix together all the ingredients and knead dough.. Donot make it a pouring consistency like dhokla. It should be a soft kneaded dough like muthia or thepla.

2. Make small roundels n make a hole like you see in pictures.

3. Steam them in a steamer or kadai for around 15-20 minutes. Check with knife if it comes out clean. It would firm up a bit.

4. Authentically hot oil is poured on top of steamed dhokla n served with chutney. So heat up oil and just pour on steamed pieces and enjoy.

5. I even sauted few pieces in oil n jeera tadka like idli or dhokla is done.
Both ways tasted yum.

Serve with green chutney and garlic chutney.

Do try n lemme know how it turned out.

Happy cooking

Happy eating

Surti khichu (Street Food)

Another favourite street food tried and came out perfect..

This is very easy and quick.. Usually when you read such recipes you don’t feel sure about it but trust me i post Oy those which can be made by anybody easily.. The recipe is very simple and tasty.

No pre preparation required.. Handful ingredients and you are good to go..

Ingredients :

For khichu recipe:

• 3 cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Ginger and green chili paste or crushed into mortar/pestle
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped finely
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 cup Rice flour

For tempering:

• 1 tablespoon Peanut oil
• Garlic powder or pickle powder
• 1/4th teaspoon Red chili powder

Method:

Making khichu recipe:

1. First, keep your steamer ready.

2. Now, in a saucepan or patila, take the water. Heat that on another stove on medium heat.

3. While it is coming to a boil, add crushed ginger and green chili paste, chopped coriander leaves, cumin seeds, salt and baking soda.

4. Let it boil for a minute. Once it starts boiling, spread the entire flour at a time and don’t stir for 5-10 seconds.

5. Now switch the flame on low and using a rolling pin (belan) stir the mix well continously to avoid the lumps.
Keep stirring vigorously till there are no lumps.

6. Once it’s mixed well you will be able to judge by the smell that its done. Cover with lid and let it stay for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame.

7. In the mean time your steamer would be ready. Take as much khichu as you want to serve in one plate and transfer it to steamer.

8. Let it steam for 2-3 minutes. You will see the khichu has softened a bit. Please don’t skip this step. Steaming will give you authentic flavour.
Then turn off the stove.

9. Take out in a fresh bowl and temper.

Making tempering:
Heat the peanut oil in a small pan on medium heat.
Immediately pour on top and sprinkle pickle powder and red chilly powder.

It’s ready to eat.

Notes:

You can add garlic powder also or add garlic paste in water for the flavour.

Happy cooking!!

Happy eating!!

Veg galouti kebabs

I was craving for galouti kebabs which I had many times in my sister’s restaurant. Honestly they didn’t turn out exactly like those but i was happy to have tried.Rajma is a Healthy grain and better than eating regular Potato or vegetable cutlet so I thought why not try these.As in this lockdown family wants new dish everyday here’s one more to the menu.I turned these galouti kebabs into a Frankie later for dinner as Noone was hungry during evening after a heavy lunch.DO try this n lemme know.Ingredients :1 cup Boiled n mashed rajma1+ 1/2 cup grated onion1/2 cup special masala1/2 cup roasted gram flour or besan1/2 cup Finely chopped coriander leavesFor special masala
-75-100 gm chopped raw papaya
-Salt to taste
-1 Tbsp chopped ginger
-1 Tbsp chopped garlic
-8 cloves
-Seeds of 2 black cardamoms
-2 tsp poppy seeds-roasted and dry ground
-4 peppercorns
-1/2 tsp pieces of cinnamon
-2 Tbsp dessicated coconut-lightly roasted
-2 blades of mace
-2 tsp chilli powderMethod1. Soak rajma dal overnight and pressure cook till done. Strain water and grind to get the required amount.2. Grate onions and saute in ghee or oil until browned well.3. Roasted gram flour and keep aside.4. Grind all ingredients together to get the masala done. You can skip any one of the ingredients incase you don’t have and add pinch of garam masala to compensate. The flavour of raw papaya gives a different taste.5. Mix all these well.6. Shape the mixture into round patties and cook on nonstick griddle. Use good amount of oil for better taste.7. Your kebabs are ready.I used my kebabs in Frankie for dinner!!How are you eating?? Happy cookingHappy eating!!

Baked aloo tokri chaat

This came up just one day when I was thinking of eating potatoes in chaat. We all love chaat. So i had so many Chaat items in my mind but wanted to eat something different. And i also wanted to eat something healthy.

Honestly i had leftover lasagna filling with me. Yes i gave this desi chaat a twits and ended up filling the tokri with Italian sauces filling.

I have tried both fried ones and baked. Honestly fried ones tastes better but in case you are looking for a healthier option like me try this out..

Ingredients

For tokri:

2 medium size potatoes grated

4 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp bhelpuri masala(optional)

For filling:

Any Italian filling you like OR

1 Onion Finely chopped

1 tomato Finely chopped

1 cucumber Finely chopped

Green chutney

Roasted salted peanuts

Sev bhujiya

Method

1. Grate potatoes and keep in cold water for 15 mins.

2. Strain and let it dry for at least 30 mins. You can pat dry too.

3. Add Cornflour n bhelpuri masala in it and immediately make tokri same in muffin tray n bake for 30 mins at 200 degree or until done.

4. Very carefully remove from the trays and fill in the Italian filling made.
Top it with sev bhujia n cheese for desi taste.

Frying the tokri:

You will need two tea strainers. On one strainer you put the aloo filling giving it a tokri shape press with another strainer and deep fry in hot oil.

For the second filling

Just mix all ingredients add black salt as per taste n use

Enjoy!!
Happy eating

Happy cooking

Surti khamani (Street Food)

This lock down has brought the best out of me. Being a surti food lover i was craving for farsaan. But i will never try anything for my own craving!!

That’s me.. I just ignore but when my husband said missing khamani.. And instantly my enthusiasm lit up 😊

So lets give this a try and voila it’s approved.. My in laws too loved it

So here’s the recipe

Ingredients :

1 cup Chana dal around 200 gms

5 tbsp oil

1 tbsp mustard seeds(rai)

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

1 tbsp garlic paste n green chilly paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

Salt as per taste

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup milk

Coriander leaves to garnish

Accompaniments :

Sev bhujiya

Finely chopped onion

Green chutney (farsaan)

Method :

1. Soak Chana dal overnight or minimum 7 hours in enough water. This dal tends to expand after soaking.

2. So the next morning drain the dal and grind to a fine paste with minimum amount of water.

3. Now take a pan add oil mustard seeds asafoetida turmeric powder salt all three pastes and dal paste. Mix very well and cover to cook on medium to low flame.

4. After every 3-4 minutes you have to stir the mixture well. Now this step is very important everytime you stir you need to sprinkle 2-3 tbsp milk over the mixture mix and cover. It will take roughly 15 mins to completely cook the dal leaving the rawness.

5. In between if you feel the mixture is going too dry please donot hesitate to add another tbsp of oil. The mixture will become soft and come together only with moisture.

6. After you are satisfied that the mixture is cooked you should be seeing little oil separating. Now you have to add sugar mix and cover till the sugar melts and becomes one with the mixture.

7. Switch off the flame and serve.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with sev bhujiya onion and green chutney.

Happy cooking

Happy eating

Please note:

1. I don’t like coriander leaves so i skipped it.

2. This is not for weight watchers. The main ingredients in this recipe are oil and garlic. Garlic flavour should be dominating. In case after tasting for salt you feel garlic flavor is missing please add more paste.

Grilled Italian sandwich

For one sandwich
Ingredients

2 tbsp Butter
Half cup Thinly Sliced onions
Half cup Thinly Sliced capsicum
Half cup Thinly Sliced carrots
Less than half cup Boiled corn
Half cup Sliced or chopped cottage cheese (paneer) pieces
Few leaves parsely
1 TSP garlic paste
Salt red chilly Flakes oregano pasta seasoning
2 tbsp Red chilly sauce
2 tbsp Hot n sour Ketchup
One cube Grated cheese(processed/mozzarella)

Steps :

For filling

1. Add butter in pan then add thinly Sliced onions capsicum carrot garlic paste and saute for 5 mins.

2. Add corn. After sauting vegetables well add salt chilly Flakes oregano pasta seasoning as per your taste, red chilly sauce hot n sour Ketchup and mix well.

3. Turn off the flame and add chopped paneer and parsley. Mix well. Your filling is ready.

Assembling sandwich :

1. Heat grilled sandwich maker. Take bread slice apply Butter on both sides.

2. Fill generous amount of filling then add grated cheese on top and top with 2nd slice of bread.

3.  Grill crisp and serve.

Happy cooking!

Pizza cups

When I first made these i was sure i ll keep on repeating this item for my guests and family. They are so easy to make and very less time consuming.

Here comes one more starter on the tray.

I have 6 cup muffin tray so i will be sharing accordingly all the details.

You will need:

6 pieces of bread

1 cup Finely chopped onion

1 cup Finely chopped deseeded tomatoes

1 cup Finely chopped capsicum

1/2 cup boiled sweet corn

Salt paprika as per your taste

3 tbsp Pizza sauce

2 tbsp Red chilly sauce( I use Maggi hot n sour)

3 cheese cubes grated

3 tbsp garlic Butter or regular butter

Steps :

1. Roll the bread slices till they are thin.

2. Now very lightly pick the bread slices n place them in each cup of muffin tray. The bread will shape like a cup.

3. Make a mixture by combining all other ingredients except cheese and butter.

4. Brush each bread cup with butter and place them in preheated oven for 5 mins.

5. After 5 mins you will see the bread cups have hardened and become crisp. If not then please bake for another 5 minutes. Keep a check as they should turn very dark brown. It should be light brown.

6. Once your bread reaches the desired crispness take them out and put the mixture in each cup and sprinkle good amount of cheese on it.

7. Bake for another 3-4 minutes or till the cheese melts.

Notes-

1. Bread should be fresh. Stale bread will break on rolling.

2. The mixture can be changed as per your taste. You can even add white sauce in the cups.

3. After pouring the mixture keep a check that bread doesn’t burn.

4. You can make the pizza cups plain beforehand your guests arrives. Once they come just put in the mixture n bake.

Happy eating!!

Pizza Khakhra

It is very much loved by all surtis.. This pizza is perfect to set your italian craving with very less calories as the base is totally healthy and light. Perfect for quick evening snacks for when you have uninvited guests this pizza can be made in no time with least number of ingredients.

This dish is one of the most famous n loved street food of Surat city in Gujarat.

For one pizza khakhra you will need:
Khakhra of your choice. Make sure the khakhra is not very thin else it won’t be able to hold the toppings.
Schezwan sauce Mayonnaise 3 tbsp each
1 cup Finely chopped onions
1 cup Finely chopped tomatoes
1 cup Finely chopped capsicum
Italian seasoning Oregano Chilly Flakes as per your taste
Grated cheese 1 cube

Take a crisp khakhra any of your choice.
Make a mix of mayonnaise and schezwan sauce.
Spread mayonnaise n schezwan sauce mix on it generously.
Spread raw Finely chopped onion tomato n capsicum.
Season with your favourite seasoning.. I used oregano
Spread grated cheese on top v properly
You can relish as it is or bake in preheated oven for one two mins..

For spread you can also use mayo green chutney or any other of your choice..
Red chilly sauce will also do..
Can also sprinkle sev bhujiya on top of cheese..
Happy eating!!

Dabeli

Walking down the lane or driving through a car what catches you first is the fresh aroma of food cooking around you which creates an immediate palate .. Not in restaurants or someone’s house but on streets.. Yes you thought right.. Street food it is!!!

The most exciting part to visit any new place to me is Street food.. I remember eating ‘Puchka’ in calcutta ‘missal pav’ in pune and the most famous pav bhaji in mumbai. Though one likes to try out the famous restaurants with the perfect ambience but it cant beat the taste of street food. When I traveled places in North India like Delhi Punjab I ate all the famous street items. Trust me the taste and fragrance of dhaba food is unparalleled.
And the same goes with my city Surat. Suratis love eating out from early morning pakodas till late night hangouts. Here people just need a reason. A sunny day is good for refreshing drinks while a rainy day cannot be missed out. Be it winters summers rains or general days everyone has their own cravings.

Today I present one of the famous street food of Surat i.e. Dabeli. Spicy sweet n sour potato filling in pav with a very different taste. Do try out and let it me know how it turned out.

Happy cooking!!

edf

Dabeli
For dabeli masala
6 medium sized boiled potatoes
Dabeli masala(Store bought)
Imli chutney
Salt
Butter or oil
Red chilly powder

Other ingredients
8 pav buns
2 pieces of onions finely chopped
Masala peanuts
Coriander leaves finely chopped
Grated coconut(optional)
Pomegranate seeds
Red garlic chutney
Imli Chutney

For garnishing
Sev bhujia

Procedure
Take boiled potatoes and mash them very nicely. You can grate them and then mash them too to get lump free batter. Add 4tbsp of dabeli masala in 1 cup of imli chutney. I have used ready made dabeli masala incase you cant find in supermarket i will update the masala recipe soon.
Heat a pan and add butter or oil, add the imli chutney mix and cook for 3-4 mins add mashed potatoes and mix well. Add salt and red chilly powder. Sprinkle little water if you feel the mixture is too dry or you can also add in more butter so that it doesnt become sticky. Your dabeli masala is ready.

Take the masala on a big plate and spread it evenly and let it cool little. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds, coriander leaves and grated coconut on it so that it comes in every spoon of the masala and press it lightly to incorporate these things in the potato masala.

Take one pav and cut it horizontally leaving one side uncut. Apply imli chutney on one side of the pav and garlic chutney on the other and 1 big spoon of masala in the pav. Now layer the masala topping it with onions and peanuts pressing them lightly. Your masala should be filled as much as it comes out litlle than the pav.
Apply butter on outer upper and lower sides of the pav and cook on tawa as much you like. Take it out very carefully and gently coat the masala sides with sev bhujiya.
Enjoy!!

Notes

1. The masala that i have made is typically street taste you can modify as per your household taste by adding any other spices of your choice. I sometimes add chaat masala too.
2. Use more butter when roasting the pav so that the sev bhujiya sticks well. You can always avoid sev bhujiya.

White Dhokla

Dhoklas are loved in Gujarat. They can be made out of endless combinations or just any one component. You can have it as your breakfast or evening snack with tea. An all time favorite, light and fluffy.

These are my life saviours when I am left with no other option…

They are so soft and quick to make.. You need least ingredients for making this..

 

Lets get cooking ..

INGREDIENTS:-

1 cup rawa

3/4th cup rice flour

1.5 cup curd

water as required

salt

green chillies and ginger paste(optional)

Eno

For tadka

Oil, mustard seeds(rai), curry leaves(kadhi patta)

METHOD

Mix all ingredients of the batter except water and eno and keep aside for 5 mins. Beat the batter very well to incorporate curd in the flour.

Then add water as required. You will require 2-3tbsp of water or you might even skip. It depends upon your curd. After adding water let it stay for another 5 mins.

In  the mean time keep your steamer ready. It should be hot inside.

Now add eno and again beat it very well. Now pour the batter on a well greased plate and place it inside your steamer. Your steamer should be hot from inside. Dont place the plate first and then on the gas. This will not give you the desired results. It will take around 10-15 mins for the dhokla to steam

You can check by inserting knife or toothpick inside. If it comes out clean, its done.

Let it cool down for 5 mins. Sprinkle red mirchi powder and black pepper powder on top. Now you prepare the tadka.

In a tadka pan, take oil. After it is hot, put in curry leaves mustard seeds. As soon as mustard seeds sprinkle pour the oil on the batter evenly and spread using a spoon.

Soft white dhoklas are ready to eat.

 

Tip: Beating the batter is very important. It gives you softer dhoklas. You can even use water instead of curd but using curd gives better result.